Starting and speed-regulating rheostat.



F. J. SBABOLT.

STARTING AND SPEED REGULATING RHEOSTAT Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

llllllllll llllllxlltl INVENTUH FRAM: J 552503.72

l, .l 'Mq 25715 TIURNEX UNITED s'rarns rnrnur ormoni.

FRANK J". SEAB'OLT, OF SCHENECTADY, NEN YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION' OF NEW YORK.

STARTING- AND SPEED-REGULATING- RHEOSTAT.

Applcaton tiled January 24, 1910.

To (LIZ whom it may concer-n:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. Snanorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting and Speed-Regulating Rheostats, ot' which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for controlling electric motor circuits and has for its object the provision of a device of this character in which the starting and speed regulation of the motor may be accomplished in a simple and efl'icient manner.

In carrying out my invention I provide, in connection with the starting and speed regulating resistances, a single controlling varm adapted to vary both of said resista nces so as to accomplish both the starting and speed regulation of the motor. rEhe ar,- rangement such that the arm moves freely to start the motor, hut'has a ratchet :movement when the regulating position is reached, so that the arm may be positively held in any desired posit-ion. The contacts of the starting resistance are arranged in a row parallel to those ot the regulating resistance and adjacent thereto, and the com trolling arm is arranged to engage both rroWs of contacts simultaneously. ll'leans are vprovided whereby one resistance is short.

circuited while the other is being varied, -1` .vf 1 3 e" fltl so mat lille toe mot-o1 1s being startetAV field resistance 1s short cireuited and while the speed is being varied the startiiig resistance short circuited. ai ratchet mehr her is provided at the pivotal point oi i ,-.e controlling arm so that when the motor is started the pavfl is moved into engagement With the ratchet and holds it statimiary, so that the controlling arm ratel there being ratchet connection het, i arm and the ratchet member itself. A novoitage magnet is provided for ctnitrolling the ratchet member so that upon failure ci voltage the arm is released and permitted to return to the oit' position. A

In the accompanying drawing in which I have shown .my invention embodied in concrete form for purposes of illustration, Figure 1 represents a plan view of the rheostat shoivil'ur the circuit connections; and Fig. @is an end elevation of the mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, 10 represents Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911. serial No. 539,648.

an insulating base of insulating material, such as slate or soapstone, having mounted thereon two concentric. rows 11 and 12 of contact studs. These studs form the terminals of resistanees 13 and let respectively, one of which is for starting and the other for speed regulation. I have shown the resistance 13 as being in series with the eld et the motor for varying the field strength While the resistance 111 is intended to act as a starting resistance, although it is obvious that my invention is not limited to this particular arrangement of resistances. The controlling arm 15, mounted on the pivoted pin 16, and provided with an operating handle 17, is adapted to move over and simultaneously engage studs 11 and 12. The contact 1S is secured to the under side of the arm for the purpose of engaging both sets oi' crntacts. The arm 15 is springpresscd or biased, toward the starting position against the stop 19 by means of a spring i251 Mounted upon the pivot pin 16 so as to rotate rreely thereon is a ratchet Wheel. 21. rEhis ratchet wheel is in ratchet engagement with the arm hy means of a paw] 22 which is sli dahly mounted on the under side of the arm and spring-pressed into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet Wheel by a spring Pivoted to the loase at Q4 is a hell crank lever Q5, one end of which is in 'the shape of a pawl for engaging the ratchet wheel. 21, While at the opposite end it terms an armature for the 11o-voltage magnet 26. rit light spring normally holds the puwl end of lever out of engagement with the ratchet Wheel and a pivoted latch Q8 locks 'the lever in the position shown in Fig. 1. ln its locked position, the pawl end of the lever engages contact stud 29, u eenmlctcs a short circuit ot the field rcs stance.. 'ii-Then the lever is attracted by the no-voltf je magnet it engages a contact sind 80 which completes a short circuit of the armature resistance. The end of the latch Qt? is curved or cam shaped at 31 so as to he engaged by a lufr or projection 32 on the' arm. The arraiigement is, such that when 'the controlling arm is moved to running position the latch is engaged by the lug and moved so as to release the hell crank lever Q5 to permit it to be attracted by the rio-voltage magnet.

The arrangement of circuits and mode of operation are as l'ollows: To start the motor the'arm is moved to thea-ight or in a clockwise direction, the parts being in the position shown in 'Fig'. 1. ln this position the armature circuit as follows: t'rom the positive main through the armature arniature resistance tt. coi'itrolliimarm 15, and back to the negative main. The tield circuit is completed from the positive main through the iield i" to the stud Qt), the pivotal point Qli, and conductor i323 to the negative main. The field resistance is thus short circuited. The movement of the arm is now continued toward the right until ruiming position is reached. Duringl this movement the arm i5 moves freely on the pivot against the tension ot the spring 2O and carries with it the ratchet wheel Qi, so that the arm and ratchet wheel rotate as one piece. wWhen the running position is reached, the latch 28 is `tripped so to release the bell crank lever. iis soon as this happens the 11o-voltage magnet, which in this case is connected across the line, attracts 'the armature arm of the bell crank lever against the'tension of the spring 27 so as to move the arm into engagement with the stud BO, while the pawl on the opposite end of the bell crank lever is moved into engagement with the ratchet wheel. This opens the short circuit on the tield resistance and short circuits the armature resistance Jfrom conductor 34, stud 30, bell. crank lever 25 and conductor 33 to line. rlhe circuit oit the field is noW completed item the positive main to the iield F, conductor 35, arm 15 and back to line. rithe ratchet wheel Q1 is now held in tixed position and the arm 15, as it is moved back and forth over the studs il to vary the field resistance, ratehets over the ratchet wheel through the pawl Q2. The arm will thus be positively locked n any position in which it is lett and there is no danger ot being accidentally moved or ot being gradually shifted by being jarred. On tailure ot voltage the bell crank lever 25 is released, thereby releasing the ratchet Wheel and allowing the arm to return to the ott position. l/Vhen thisA happens the [icld resistance is again Y short circuited and the short circuit on the vor armature resistance is open. All ot the partsare thus in position for another operation.V

it will be seen that have provided a simple and etlicient arrangement vtor both starting and regulating the speed ot a motor m a reliable and eliicient manner. While l have, in accordance withthe patent statutes, shown specific means tor carrying out my invention, it should be understood that t do not` limit my invention to the construction or ari'angenient oit circuits herein shown and described, since various nioditications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the ai't without departing trom the spirit oit ,my invention, the scope of which is set forth 'in the annexed claims. "i

, ll'havt. l; claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentvot the United States, is,"-

1.. rheostat comprising a starting and a speed regulating resistance, a. pivoted controlling arm tor tirst starting the motor by a mcvemeiit in one direction and then varying the speed by a movement in the opposite direction, a no-voltage magneti.I and means controlled thereby torcausing said arm to be movable with a ratchet movement when it. reaches the speed-varying position.

2. rheostat comprising a starting and a speed regulating resistance, a p'ivvotedlc'ontrolling arm biased to the starting position and movable in one direction against the bias to cut out the starting resistance, a novoltage magnet, and means controlled thereby for removing the bias 'from said arm when it reaches the ruiming position and siimdtaneously causing said arm to be movable with a ratchet movement in the opposite direction to regulate the speed. i

A' rheostat comprising a resistance, a controlling arm therefor biased toward ott' position, a member in frictional engagement with said arm and normally movable therewith, a 11o-voltage magnet and means controlled by said magnet and rendered oper-l ative alter a' predeterniined variation of resistance vfor holding said member iXed as the arm slips over the same to vary the resistance.

4. A, rheosta-t. comprising a. starting and a speed regulating resistance, a controlling arm therefor biased toward the oil position, a' member having a 'frictional engagement with said arm and normally movable therewith, a rio-voltage magnet, and means controlled by said magnet and rendered operative when the arm reaches running position vtor holding said member tixed as the arm." slips over the same to va'ry the resistance.

A starting and speed regulating rheostat comprising a pair ot resistances each provided with contact studs, a controlling member biased to the ott position and simultaneously engaging the same, connections whereby said member is rendered ineltective to vary one ot said resistances when moved in one direction and to vary the other ot saidrcsistances when moved in the opposite direction, a no-voltage magnetl land means controlled thereby vtor rei-noving the bias l'rom said arm and simultaneously causing the same to be movable with ,a ratchet moyemcnt,

t5. A rheostat. comprising two concentric rows ot contact studs :onmictcd to starting and speed regulating rcsist'ances respectively, a controlling arm therefor bidsed to a predctermined position and arranged vto start the motor when moved in one direction sition and arranged to first startthe motor.

and then to vary the speed, a member pivs oted concentrically with said arm and in ratchet engagement therewith, a no-vgltage magnet, and means controlled thereby for holding said member fixed Whenthe motor has been started so that the arm will ratchet over the same to vary the speed.

S. A rheostat comprising two concentric roWs of Contact studs connected to starting and speed regulating resistances respectively, a controlling arm therefor biased toward the ofl position of the starting resistance, a ratchetmember pivoted concentrieally with said armand in ratchet engagement therewith, a rio-voltage magnet, a pawl controlled thereby for engagingsaid ratchet member to hold the same, and connections whereby either the starting resistance or the speed regulating resistance is short eircuited as'the pawl moves into and out of engage ment with said ratchet.

Inwitness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day of January, 1910. FRANK J. SEABOLT. lVitnesses:

HELEN ORFoRD, I BnrnrAMlv B. HULL. 

